Don’t feel bad sports fans… even the people who own some of your favorite teams are superstitious.
If you have a rooting interest in a sports team, chances are you’ve gotten a little superstitious. Maybe you’ve got a lucky seat on the couch, or a go-to shirt or jersey to wear for big games. It sounds silly, but a lot of sports fans do it. And if you were to ask the Houston Texans about their good luck charm, their answer isn’t a pre-game ritual, or a certain jersey color. Rather, it’s a person.
Country music star Parker McCollum.
The “Pretty Heart” singer grew up just outside of Houston and is known to be a passionate Texans fan. If he’s not touring, and he’s back in his home state of Texas when the NFL franchise has a home game, chances are Parker McCollum will be there. And he’s not just a famous fan of the team… if you ask Hannah McNair – the wife of the owner of the Houston Texans – he’s the franchise’s good luck charm.
Why does she believe that? Well, it comes down the performance of the Texans in last year’s postseason. Parker McCollum was there at the stadium when Houston been the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. When the Texans went on the road to play the New England Patriots, the country singer wasn’t able to make it, and the team ended up losing.
Coincidence? Hannah McNair sure doesn’t think so, and during the NFL’s annual league meeting earlier this month, the wife of the Houston Texans owner told KPRC 2 that their loss in the postseason was all Parker McCollum’s fault:
“I blame Parker McCollum for not coming to New England (when we played the) Patriots, because he was at the Steelers game. I told him that when we saw him at the (Houston Livestock Show and) Rodeo. I said, ‘You know you’re the reason that we lost that game.’ Hopefully he comes to all of our playoff games next year.”
Cal McNair, the owner, chairman and chief executive officer of the Houston Texans, didn’t appear to disagree with his wife on that one. Parker McCollum needs to clear his schedule when the NFL postseason rolls around.
And if you thought Parker McCollum would just brush off these claims and accusations, you’d be wrong. Not long after Hanna McNair placed the weight of the Texans’ postseason struggles on the country music singer, he responded with a formal apology:
“Sorry guys.”
Okay… maybe not formal, but it was still an apology nonetheless, which is hilarious.
If you ask me, the Houston Texans just need to reach out to Parker McCollum and see if he’ll get on the payroll during the Texans postseason. Have him give speeches to the team, or maybe even just play ambient music in or near the locker room. Whatever they have to do to make sure that he’s there for every game… so the Texans can finally go on a Super Bowl run.
